Yet another "financial scandal swirling around the Vatican". People still reaching into their pockets to fork over money for these untaxed hypocrites... buying a stairway to heaven.
The infallible one chats with convicted child sex offender George Pell
(https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2020/10/13/ap_20286407329332-91da7aa214491f237f373a42eba387b71a579592-s1200-c85.jpg)
https://www.npr.org/2020/10/14/923306264/you-cannot-serve-both-god-and-money-vatican-s-financial-scandal-takes-new-twist
About 20 years ago, I was sitting in a train station reading The Da Vinci Code. Everyone was reading that book about that time. Just being seen by a stranger reading it would often end up in an out of the blue discussion about the book. The opener was usually, something like, "What page are you on?" I can't remember a bigger book phenomenon that that.
So this stranger who had never read The Da Vinci Code, up and asks me, "What's that book like," to which I replied, "Pretty good. It's kind of hard on the Catholic Church." Then the stranger got all stern faced and said, "Well, someone needs to be!" I just chuckled, and that was the sum total of our conversation. I don't know if that guy was an atheist or a Baptist. I was just enjoying the book, and not looking for a conversation. But he was right. Someone needs to be hard on the Catholic Church, although that wasn't the message of the book. It was just a piece of fun fiction.
Quote from: SGOS on November 08, 2020, 12:06:53 PM
About 20 years ago, I was sitting in a train station reading The Da Vinci Code. Everyone was reading that book about that time. Just being seen by a stranger reading it would often end up in an out of the blue discussion about the book. The opener was usually, something like, "What page are you on?" I can't remember a bigger book phenomenon that that.
So this stranger who had never read The Da Vinci Code, up and asks me, "What's that book like," to which I replied, "Pretty good. It's kind of hard on the Catholic Church." Then the stranger got all stern faced and said, "Well, someone needs to be!" I just chuckled, and that was the sum total of our conversation. I don't know if that guy was an atheist or a Baptist. I was just enjoying the book, and not looking for a conversation. But he was right. Someone needs to be hard on the Catholic Church, although that wasn't the message of the book. It was just a piece of fun fiction.
When Hitchens went after the saintly ma Theresa and exposed her as just another vile catholic cultist of death, I bought 5 copies of that book "The Missionary Position" and distributed to certain people. Not sure any of them read it because I didn't want to get pushy.(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/3/32/Missionary_Position_book_Mother_Teresa.jpg/220px-Missionary_Position_book_Mother_Teresa.jpg)
PS... Sorry, but what a great fucking title..
Christopher Hitchens is inferior to his brother, Peter. But he did have a sharp mouth. Of course, regardless of what anyone thinks, I suspect the Catholic Church will still exist 1000 years from now, but secularism won't, not democracy, not socialism. Secularism is a godless form of paganism.
Read the DaVinci code, second best book in the series.
Never struck me as particularly hard on the catholic church. All in all, I find it shows that the author is a man of belief and holds respect for faith in a mindset.
Quote from: Mr.Obvious on November 08, 2020, 02:38:54 PM
Read the DaVinci code, second best book in the series.
Never struck me as particularly hard on the catholic church. All in all, I find it shows that the author is a man of belief and holds respect for faith in a mindset.
The conspiracy theory is good, even without anything supernatural. What could be more mysterious than a secretive largest oldest organization on Earth? I didn't read Dan Brown, but did watch the Freemasonic take on Washington DC documentary (which is true ... I am connected to the Freemasons myself). I read a lot of the "bloodline of Christ" books that came out before Dan Brown, sponsored by folks who think they are descended from the Merovingian French kings who are in the Jesus line.
Quote from: Mr.Obvious on November 08, 2020, 02:38:54 PM
Read the DaVinci code, second best book in the series.
Never struck me as particularly hard on the catholic church. All in all, I find it shows that the author is a man of belief and holds respect for faith in a mindset.
I remember a lot in the book about a secret organization or organizations within the church that had some nefarious goal. I have no idea if those organizations or anything like them are real or not, but it did not paint a favorable picture. If I remember right that book was put on the church's "do not read" list.
The second of the series? What was the first? I'm wondering if we are talking about the same book? I'd like to read it again, but I don't have my old copy. In Ron Howard's motion picture, he removed most of the most parts that might be offensive to the church, which watered down the story and took away much of interest because the plot more or less depended on those parts.
I looked it up. Angels and Demons was first, I didn't find that one particularly edgy, though. I liked the Code much better.
Yeah, we're talking about the same books. I didn't find either particularly edgy, though, personally. I mean it, he seems very respectful about the church and faith in general. At least I remember that being my impression.
In any case i thought the first one, angels and demons, did have the best storyline, and was not yet predictable. The third and fourth book really suffered from the author being way too obvious about his plot twists.
I read Inferno, and I can't remember anything about it I just remember that I read it. Apparently, it made no impression on me.
I loved the scene in "The Da Vinci Code" where he explains her heritage. She is the daughter of a guy with the "right name" so she's royal. But the Jesus power was passed down the female side of the line.
Quote from: Gawdzilla Sama on November 09, 2020, 07:45:11 AM
I loved the scene in "The Da Vinci Code" where he explains her heritage. She is the daughter of a guy with the "right name" so she's royal. But the Jesus power was passed down the female side of the line.
That blew me away. I've been in discussions with others who said they saw that coming a mile away. I did not and in looking back I can't remember any tip offs in the story that would give anyone that insight. But then maybe I was too distracted by the puzzle solving and rest of the parts of the story to be looking for that. I was just waiting for the things to be resolved, but that surprise was pure frosting for me. One of the reasons I want to read it again is to see if I can actually spot any indicators to that part of the conclusion.
The movie, "National Treasure?" It's fun with lots of good parts, but I can't help but think of it as a rip off of the Da Vinci Code, with Nicolas Cage playing the role of the master puzzle solver.
There was a TV story or idea of a story, where Jesus comes back as a woman, and is killed again, of course. Humanity is simply not worth saving.
I found the National Treasure movies to be interesting escapism, being connected to Freemasonry myself.
(https://static01.nyt.com/images/2018/07/20/nyregion/20mccarrick1/20mccarrick1-threeByTwoSmallAt2X.jpg)
Theodore E. McCarrick in 2004, when he was archbishop of Washington. He is the highest-ranking Roman Catholic official in the United States to be removed for sexual misconduct.
It's hard to take a guy who goes around with a magic staff and dresses like that seriously. The guy on the left looks silly enough. Apparently, he's not high ranking enough to wear the really crazy stuff. That hat needs a chin strap in case of a wind gust, or even if he bowed to the crowd. Maybe they glue it on his head.
How come Biden wasn't removed for sexual misconduct?
Even as a youngster I wondered about how the pope was dressed. For some silly reason I thought Jesus was about feeding the poor (5,000 fishes and all that) and clothing the poor. I gathered that Jesus would give the robe off his back, except it was of such poor quality nobody wanted it. Then, we have the pope. If he were to auction off what he wore he could raise enough money to feed quite a few for a year. I don't remember reading any stories about Jesus wearing anything close to what the top hierarchy wear. Would it not make more sense (I know, using 'sense' with any religion.........what was I thinking--oops, there I go again; using thinking and religion) if the pope wore the most tattered, or at least worn clothing????
Quote from: SGOS on November 10, 2020, 09:15:48 AM
(https://static01.nyt.com/images/2018/07/20/nyregion/20mccarrick1/20mccarrick1-threeByTwoSmallAt2X.jpg)
Theodore E. McCarrick in 2004, when he was archbishop of Washington. He is the highest-ranking Roman Catholic official in the United States to be removed for sexual misconduct.
It's hard to take a guy who goes around with a magic staff and dresses like that seriously. The guy on the left looks silly enough. Apparently, he's not high ranking enough to wear the really crazy stuff. That hat needs a chin strap in case of a wind gust, or even if he bowed to the crowd. Maybe they glue it on his head.
Those guys don't bow to anyone, not even God.
You failed to note the irony of you saying that ;-)
As a former catholic(9 years of catholic school) I have wondered why they dress up the priests the way that they do. It makes me think of an old MONTY PYTHON skit with the 2 judges coming into their changing room, and when they take off the robes, they're wearing ladies "undies" underneath. "Had a bitch of a day in court!"
Quote from: bob nelson on November 10, 2020, 06:04:18 PM
As a former catholic(9 years of catholic school) I have wondered why they dress up the priests the way that they do. It makes me think of an old MONTY PYTHON skit with the 2 judges coming into their changing room, and when they take off the robes, they're wearing ladies "undies" underneath. "Had a bitch of a day in court!"
History. They have continued "court official clothes" from the late Roman Empire. Constantine founded the Church, not Jesus or Paul. Constantine was the one who made Sunday the one official day of worship, and made all Christian priests into state employees. Apparently you weren't paying attention to the nuns ;-) It is funny that the Pope will were a zucchetto ... aka a yarmulka to us Jews. In both cases it symbolizes a "freedman" aka "former slave" that has been manumitted.
Quote from: Mr.Obvious on November 08, 2020, 04:57:54 PM
Yeah, we're talking about the same books [Da Vinci Code]. I didn't find either particularly edgy, though, personally. I mean it, he seems very respectful about the church and faith in general. At least I remember that being my impression.
I said I needed to read it again, although that was to see if I can find anything foreshadowing of the final disclosure. I got a used copy in perfect shape from ebay for $2, and started reading it last night. The chapters are short so I'm not sure which chapter gave the first hint. It's somewhere in the first 40 pages, just something mentioned in passing in a description of something else.
My ex was a librarian. She used to read at the dinner table. While I was enthralled by the book, she dryly observed that it WAS a "page turner," but nothing special beyond that. I've heard similar comments along those lines from others, but I don't see it. I thought the book was superbly crafted, and I like Dan Brown's writing style. It just flows, and that's not something all writers can do. Last night, my attention was captured in the first two pages. The writing flow thing is probably just some personal quirk of mine. Bill Bryson writes like that, and I would put James Michener in that group too, even though he hardly ever ends a sentence until half way through a paragraph.
Whether Dan Brown's writing is worth a shit or not, I have never seen a book stir up such a reading phenomenon as The Da Vinci Code. For 3 months, everywhere I went someone was reading it. It seemed like people were glued to the Da Vinci Code back then the way people are glued to their smart phones today.
The popularity of The DaVinci Code is proof that Satan is among us ;-)
Unless one is into Catholic memes, it won't make much sense. LeVey Satanism only makes sense as upside down Catholicism, same as The Exorcist.
"Joel Osteen's Church Received $4.4 Million In PPP Stimulus Payments" ... you can serve both G-d and Mammon, if you are Protestant ;-) Welfare for a big church while all the small ones are shut down. Similar to our Covid welfare for commercial concerns.
I read The Davinci Code before it was cool to read it. Good read, but still, just another book out of the thousands I've read over the course of my life.
Quote from: Unbeliever on December 17, 2020, 05:21:50 PM
I read The Davinci Code before it was cool to read it. Good read, but still, just another book out of the thousands I've read over the course of my life.
No, the Jews aren't behind everything, the Freemasons and the Jesuit collaborators are ;-)
I've read The Walking Drum about 15 times, it's a wonderful masterpiece!
Quote from: Unbeliever on December 17, 2020, 05:21:50 PM
I read The Davinci Code before it was cool to read it. Good read, but still, just another book out of the thousands I've read over the course of my life.
I'm on my second read, and this time around it doesn't strike me as so extraordinary, but the first time, I could not put the book down, and I was swept up in whatever it was that was sweeping up everyone else. Maybe it's a story that only works once. I anticipated the movie more than any other including any of the next Marvel masterpieces and showed up at the theater the day it was released.
I was totally disappointed. The movie left me flat. I tried to explain why to myself. How could such a gripping book be ruined by the movie? The only thing I could come up with was that Ron Howard, the director, took all the bite out of the film. I think he was trying not to offend the Catholic Church, hoping to make the movie even more popular than the book, but much of the book depends on Church conspiracy. In fact the whole book was about the Church covering up what may be the most important part of Christianity. Granted it's a fabricated coverup, but totally believable in light of actual Church history of rewriting reality and it's self serving greed for money and power.
The second read, although not as exciting as the first still stands head and shoulders above the movie. We all know the pagan roots of the Christian Church, the child abuse, and the trafficking of babies, and Dan Brown touches on those, while Howard leaves them out, but Brown explains them briefly in passing in order to set us up for the most dramatic abuse of all... fabricated as it might be.
But maybe it's a story that can only be told once.
Quote from: Unbeliever on December 17, 2020, 10:01:34 PM
I've read The Walking Drum about 15 times, it's a wonderful masterpiece!
Then don't claim you hate the Middle Ages and the Middle East ;-)
"Top Ranking Catholic Cardinal Says COVID-19 Used To Advance 'Godless And Murderous Agenda' , Usher In 'Great Reset'" ... Pope Francis is a heretic and anti-Pope ;-)
Another really good read is A Skeleton in God's Closet. I've read it a few times, and will again if I come across it.
Quote from: Unbeliever on December 18, 2020, 01:44:51 PM
Another really good read is A Skeleton in God's Closet. I've read it a few times, and will again if I come across it.
They already found the family burial of Jesus et al in Jerusalem ;-) Done for real ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talpiot_Tomb
"Fake Pastors Swindle Churchgoers In $28 Million FX/Crypto Ponzi Scheme" .. they are called shepherds of sheep
When will the flock realize that it isn't the wolf they should be afraid of, but the shepard?
Quote from: Unbeliever on January 01, 2021, 03:37:32 PM
When will the flick realize that it isn't the wolf they should be afraid of, but the shepard?
Alien reptilian shape shifters are like that ;-) See the Predator movie?